Nevermore: A Maximum Ride Novel
by Blondie B. Happy
Summary: Not everyone is who they seem to be in this finale to the Maximum Ride series. The Flock will feel pain and loss like never before. Even apart, they must stay strong. There will be huge betrayals! Who will live? How will they save the world? Review! FAX! Complete!
1. Prologue

**James Patterson is my FAVORITE author! I can't believe this is the last book in the series. I FEEL LIKE CRYING! Well, anywho, review, rate, subscribe!**

**I do not own this story. James Patterson does! duh!**

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><p><span>Prologue<span>

Songs About My Life

You all know that song, If I Were A Boy by Beyonce, right? Well, of course you do, 'cause even I have it on my iPod. Well I have my own version of that song. It goes like this:

_If I were a boy, i would march straight up to Max and tell her that she is my one and only love. Then I would walk over to Dylan and punch him in the face for stealing my girlfriend! _

In case ya'll don't know, the guy that would be Fang, who broke up with me for one or more reasons a couple of months ago. Dylan is the guy that I am currently dating. Now, don't get me wrong, Dylan's great, but he only loves me because he was _made_ to.

He says that he would love me even if he hadn't been programmed to in the first place. But how do I know if thats true. That's the problem. _I don't_.

Fang was my first love, which makes me start thinking about that song Baby by Justin Bieber. At least the rap part of it. Except I started loving him when I was fourteen.

My life also relates to that song, Mr. Know It All by Kelly Clarkson. Fang thinks that he knows everything. He thinks that my life would be better if he was not in it. He also thinks that I shouldn't date Dylan. He can't have it both ways. And just so we are clear, my life _is not_ better without Fang. As Kelly Clarkson would also say, My Life Would Suck Without You. It kind of does.

Not only did I lose Fang, but i also lost Angel, the youngest member of the flock. Even after all the fights we had about who's leader and whatnot, she was still my little girl, and now she's _dead._

When I think of Fang and Angel, I think slow, sad Adele songs.

When I think of Maya, I think of Eminem cussing out people, which i would love to do to Maya.

Maya, in case you haven't read the other books in this series, is my freaking _clone. _And she's Fang's sidekick in the _other_ flock. I don't know how Fang could even stand to look at her after what she did to me (see book 2). Fang says that there is nothing romantic going on between them, and I think, _Yeah, just like how there is nothing going on between me and Dylan._

Maya might have saved my life, but i'm not the forgiving type.

But now, since that aggravating clone is no where near me, I guess I can say, Lalala, whatever.

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><p><strong>Oh, how I LOVE music! REVIEW!...Come on, ya know ya wanna!<strong>


	2. Chapter 1

**Wow! Thanks to everyone who is reading this! Please review, cause i have no reviews for this yet! But, if any of you guys reading this are Percy Jackson fans, I have a story for that too! And that story has over 3000 hits! If you want to read it, just go to my profile (And please answer my poll!) and scroll to the bottom. Then click on The Mark Of Athena! REVIEWREVIEWREVIEW! Need I say it more?**

**HAPPY READING!**

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><p><strong>Part 1: Quiet, too Quiet...<strong>

**Chapter 1**

"Run!" I screamed. "You have to run. Or you'll die!"

I was currently watching Fang, Gazzy, and Angel run for their lives. They were in a sewer, covered in grime and sweat. I was running next to them, yelling at them, but they didn't seem to hear me. Which sucked.

"Run!" I yelled yet again. But it was no use. They were already running as fast as they could, and they couldn't hear me. I was only faintly aware of the ticking. The ticking of the bomb.

Then, out of know where, Angel, who was in the back of the pack, tripped and fell. Fang and Gazzy didn't seem to notice, but I stopped and ran over. I tried to grab her arm, but my fingers just slid through it. All I could do was watch her struggle to breath.

The ticking was getting faster. Soon we would all be dead.

"COME ON ANGEL! GET UP!"

A secret door suddenly opened in the wall. Some people walked out. But not just any people.

Whitecoats.

They scooped Angel up and carried her back through the doorway. As the door was closing, I realized that they had taken Angel. I jumoed up and ran for the door. But by the time I had reached it, it was closed. I screamed in frustration.

Then the bomb went off.

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><p>I woke up with a scream. We were in a hotel room. Not in a sewer. Gazzy turned over in his sleep, and Nudge was snoring.<p>

Now I knew what had happened to Angel. She hadn't been killed. She had been taken.

_See Max_, someone, or something, said. _There is still hope. You must be a strong leader._

I looked around, searching for the source of the voice. Then I realized what it was.

_Voice_, I said as calmly as I could inside my head. _Long time, no hear. Do me a favor and shut up!_

_You have to find Angel, _the voice instructed_. You have to find Fang's group also._

_I thought you were the one who said that I should forget about Fang!_

_Forget about him as your partner, yes. But you two still need to be friends._

_Well, I'll work on that, _I replied_. Now, if you don't mind, I would like to try to sleep. May I?_

_Sure._

_That was a rhetorical question, _I said.

The voice didn't reply.

"Are you okay?" someone asked. I realized that Dylan had been watching me the entire time.

"Yeah, peachy"

"Well, try to sleep."

"Okay. Nighty-night," I said.

"Goodnight, Max," he replied.

I fell back down on my bed and closed my eyes.

It was going to be hard to sleep.

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><p><strong>Once again, ...ETC! PLEASE REVIEW AND SUBSCRIBE. ALSO, CHECK OUT MY AWESOME PROFILE! THANKS FOR READING!<strong>


	3. Chapter 2

**Sorry that I haven't posted! I have been super busy working on my other story, _The Mark Of Athena! _It has over 9000 hits! Guess what? Nevermore comes out in AUGUST! I'm SO mad! At the end of Angel it said February but all of these websites say August! **

**Disclaimer: Do cats fly? NO!**

**Does Max like Dylan?**** NO!**

**Is Pre-Algebra easy? NO!**

**Is 'the' a preposition? NO!**

**Do I like olives? NO!**

**Do persimmons taste good? NO!**

**Do bee's enjoy the company of humans? NO!**

**Did I write Maximum Ride? NO!**

**Happy Reading!**

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><p>Chapter 2<p>

I woke up to crying. I got up and turned on the lights in the hotel room. I saw Gazzy, huddled in a corner, bawling. Everyone else was obviously immune to the sound because no one else was awake.

"Gazzy," I said calmly, walking over to him. I put my arms around him and let him cry into my shoulder.

"Angel," he whimpered, taking in a short, quick breath. I felt terrible. Gazzy was always one of toughest. When none of us could hold ourselves together, Gazzy would always be the one to stand strong and help us.

"Gazzy, I have something to tell you, and you'll be shocked when you hear it."

"Okay, what?"

I pulled back so that I could see his face. I grinned.

"Angel's alive."

His mouth dropped open, and I could see the disbelief on his face.

"I'm not lying," I said.

"Yes you are!" he accused. "You're just trying to make me feel better."

"Well, of course I'm trying to make you feel better, but why would I lie about something like that? Seriously, the voice told me last night. Well actually, she showed me."

Gazzy took a deep breath. "So Angel's alive. Where is she?"

"Somewhere underground, most likely. I saw the whitecoats take her just before the bomb went off."

"Well, let's go back to Paris!"

"Sure, what do we got to lose?" We were currently in Spain. It wasn't really that far away.

"Actually, we have everything to lose."

"I know, I know. But we are not the kind of people to go down without a fight, now are we?"

"No," he replied.

"Well, that's settled then."

Then Gazzy and I both stood up. I went over to where Dylan was sleeping, and Gazzy stood right next to Iggy and Nudge.

_One_, I mouthed.

_Two_, he mouthed.

_Three_, we both mouthed.

"GET UP!" we screamed. Gazzy let one rip.

Nudge was the first up. She screamed and fell out of her bed, then covered her nose and started gagging. Iggy gasped and then shot me and Gazzy the "bird". Dylan woke up very calmly and said, "What now?"

"Angel's still alive!"

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><p><strong>That's one thing I like about James Patterson. He writes very short chapters. Which mean I don't have to write long chapters. YAY! <strong>

**Okay, I need reviews! PLEASE! It's not very hard to click that tiny little button that say 'Review this Chapter'. Once you do that, just write a few quick words about what you like and don't like about the story. (But I prefer what you do like) Thank for reading!**


	4. Chapter 3

**Merry Christmas! Sorry that I haven't updated. I'm working super duper hard on my other story for Percy Jackson, The Mark of Athena. It was over 200 reviews and 40000 hits! I just submitted my 22nd chapter! Check it out and review!**

**Enjoy and Happy Holidays!**

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><p>Chapter 3<p>

_Angels POV_

Poking and prodding. That was all she was aware of. The pain and the horror of it all was almost too much for her mind. And that was saying something.

Her foot itched like crazy, but she couldn't scratch it. She couldn't move whatsoever.

The lights of the room were bright, almost blinding. The table she was laying on was hard and cool, like ice.

She had been crying constantly for a while, but finally, she just couldn't anymore. Whenever she fell asleep, she was only greeted by her nightmares. So she decided to stay awake. And she had been awake for three days straight.

The whitecoats were talking in hushed voices. "She must be incredibly smart," remarked one of them. "You want to take a blood sample?"

"Yes," said a voice, and Angel found it familiar.

A needle was injected into her foot, which ended the itching but started more pain.

When they had finished, the bands holding Angel down were released, and a couple of people carried Angel to another room that was quite dark in comparison to the other. They set Angel down in a chair and strapped her in.

She couldn't see a thing. Her thoughts were now only of Max and the others. She missed her so much, more than she ever thought. Just a few months ago, she thought that she could do without her. But now she realized she couldn't live without her.

She wanted her big sister back.

And then there was Fang. The mushy-gushy stuff between him and Max had gotten pretty old, but still, he had always been so protective.

Plus, there was Nudge and Iggy. Not to mention Gazzy, her own brother. And Dylan.

Dylan.

There had always been something weird about him. She could read his mind and tell that he loved Max. Like, true love. But there was just one part of his mind that she could not reach. Something was going on inside there. And Angel couldn't tell if it was bad or good.

Then a light flickered on above Angel's head, just one single light bulb. It cast a glow in the room, and then Angel noticed that she wasn't the only one.

There was another person in the room. She had black hair and crying, but her back was turned to Angel. Like herself, the girl was wearing a hospital gown that tied together in the back. But Angel could also just make out tan wings. She was shaking violently and talking to herself.

"Please," she seemed to be saying. "Please, please… kill me!" Angel got the feeling that she knew her.

Then a door opened up, and a man walked in the room. Angel could not make out his face.

"Shh! Quiet down. You have a friend now to keep you company in this cell." Angel was sure that she knew the voice. It was the same one from before.

The girl in the chair whimpered and the man walked over to the girl and untied her. He whispered something in her ear, and she started shaking again. But then her wings came out. They were about ten feet across.

They both turned around, and Angel got a clear look of both of their faces. She gasped in horror.

_No_, she thought. _No, no, NO! This can't be right!_

"Ella, you remember Angel?" asked Jeb Batchelder in his neutral tone.

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><p><strong>CLIFFHANGER! BWAHAHA! Hope you liked! Review! I want a lot! It is Christmas after all!<strong>


	5. Chapter 4

**Okay It is super short! But Fang's Blog is in it! SO YAY! Read, Review, SUSCRIBE! I need to do homework!**

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><p>Chapter 4<p>

Fang POV

Fang was having fun throwing random rocks and random things until Maya came up to him.

"And why are you doing this?" she asked.

Fang hurled a pebble at a tree. "I don't know."

They were at one of Fang's favorite places; the place where they learned to fly like the hawks. Fang had okay memories from there, but Angel hadn't been with them.

Just like right now.

Just knowing that he could have done something to have her made him chuck a good sized rock into the lake. It landed with a clunk.

They had reached this place surprisingly fast. It took them transferring a lot of different planes. They had only been there for an hour.

"Ugh, I going to go on my blog," sighed Fang, stalking over to his bag. He could still feel Maya's eyes on him as he pressed the on button.

**This is Fangs blog. You are user number… 12,368,245!**

"**Hey!" I say cheerfully… NOT!**

**Look, my life sucks write now. Angel was killed in an explosion. If I had been smarter, she probably would still be alive. I'm pretty sure Max still hates me. EVERYONE BETTER LISTEN UP RIGHT NOW! There is a group of psychopaths out to kill every single last freaking human being on the planet. Not to mention a couple of unfortunate mutants. They are targeting people through T.V. and computer! BEWARE! Get your fat butts off the couch and stop being antisocial! Spread the info! DO IT!**

**Fly on or die,**

**Fang**

**Pretty-in-Pink-and-Black-112233 says: U sound, like, SO emo! R u sure ur not?**

**Fang says: Lay off with the freaking emo thing for once people before **_**I MURDER YOU!**_

**LoserLikeMwa-haha! says: Dude, my fav show is coming on 2morrow nite! I can't miss it! Like, seriously, r they going to shoot me through the T.V.?**

**Fang says: Stop being stupid and forget T.V.! Would you rather see the new episode or die? Yeah, I thought so!**

**Dude in the AWESOME silver pants:) says: I completely support you dude! FLY ON!**

**Fang says: Thank you for your cooperation!**

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><p><strong>Disclaimer: As much as I wish I owned Fang, I don't, which makes me very sad... Oh, and I don't own any of those other mutants!<strong>

**REVIEW!**


	6. Chapter 5

**Hi everyone! Sorry that I haven't posted! I'm working really hard on my story, The Mark of Athena! I have over 400 reviews for it! Yay! So this is a short chapter, but hey, all of my chapters are short!:)**

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><p><span>Max POV<span>

Ah, flying just never gets old.

The wind was cool on my wings, blowing some of my feathers off of them. They trailed in through the sky and floated to the Earth below.

Like, 1,000 feet below.

I really hoped Angel was here, because then this entire journey would have been a big waste, and at the end we would all be crying again. I didn't even like thinking about it. All of the tears, and snot, and shaking. Ugh, it was torture. But I was the leader and mom. This was part of the package.

"Where are we?" called Nudge over the wind. "Do you think after we find Angel, we could go to one of those café's? I really want a croissant, with butter! And maybe some of the marmalade stuff. Yeah, that is like super GOOD! And the coffee is so good! Do you think I can get a mocha cappuccino? I'm tired of decaf and-"

"Nudge!" Iggy growled. "I have a freaking headache! Shut up! Do you really think you want caffeine?"

Iggy flew over to me and whispered in my ear. "Please don't give her any caffeine!"

I rolled my eyes and put on a burst of speed, flying at about 500 miles per hour. Wow, a new record!

We had already been flying for about four hours at about 100 miles per hour. I am not lying when I say that it took me five minutes to reach Paris. A shiver ran through me. Too many bad things had happened here, and everywhere I looked, all I could think about was Angel.

And Fang.

Why did this place remind me of him? I don't know. I shouldn't even care about what he does. But I do… and it sucks! I should be thinking about Dylan, the one who stayed, the one I could always count on.

But that person used to be Fang.

I pulled my phone out of my pocket and pressed my thumb to the Google app. I went to Fang's blog, just to see if there were any updates. The most recent one was an angry one. Apparently, he hates his life right now, just as much as I hate mine.

And he also assumes I still hate. Well, he sure got that right.

I turned around flew back to the others.

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><p>It took about an hour get back to Paris. Once there, we went back to that sewer. Some pretty gross water was still at the bottom, and I could still see dried blood on the walls.<p>

"Well, come on everyone," I said trying to keep my voice up. The only person that followed me was Dylan. The others looked at me as if I had just asked them to go swim with great whites!

"Don't you guys want to find Angel?"

They shuffled forward, their eyes wide. "This place is creepy," Nudge squeaked.

"Yeah, I know," I whispered, and continued forward.

Gazzy had already started crying again. Iggy put and hand on his shoulder and mumbled something. Gazzy nodded, but he was trembling.

Soon we reached the room where Gazzy and Angel had been held in a cage. The cage was exactly in the spot where it had been, but it was half melted. The room still smelled of explosives, a smell I had come to know after living with Iggy and Gazzy.

Gazzy collapsed on the ground, sobbing so hard. I went over to him and picked him up, holding him. And he actually let me. I hadn't done this to him in years, and now he was nine. But he really needed to comforting.

The room was dark, but the lights flickered. And we a pretty good vision, so when the lights did turn off, I could see each other's outline.

"Okay, everyone. Um… feel along the walls, look for hidden doorways," I ordered. "If we don't find one in here, then it is out in the corridor, okay?"

They mumbled yes, and went to the walls. I felt along looking for something, anything, that would lead me to Angel.

It took me about 10 minutes, but a found a cleverly concealed handle. Smiling with victory, and laced my fingers around it and pulled.

That is when everything went wrong.

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><p><strong>So ignore the typos and whatnot:) Please review, cause if i get more reviews, i get happier! The happier i am, the happier you will be because i will update faster! So give me reviews! <strong>


	7. Chapter 6

**Sorry that i haven't updated. Bt will be wrapping up this story soon because James Patterson has now released the first 5 chapters of the real version. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fang...:( Or any of the other Flock members:(**

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><p>Max POV<p>

First of all, the flickering Twilight Zone-ish lights just shut off. I stifled a scream, and looked around for the others. My night vision seemed to not work anymore. I saw nothing.

I heard Nudge shriek. "What is touching me?"

"That what is a who!" grumbled Iggy.

"Sorry."

"No one panic," I demanded. "Try to find the exit."

Suddenly, hands grabbed me from behind. I screamed, but my scream was muffled by a hand that slapped itself across my mouth. My hands were tied behind my back, and my ankles were put into shackles. I attempted a kick to the person holding me, but I was picked up.

"Max?" asked Gazzy. "Are you okay? Where'd you go?"

They didn't know that I was being kidnapped! I yelled their names, but no sound escaped my mouth.

I was slammed against a wall so hard that I almost blacked out. Water seeped into my clothes. The others were calling my name, and noticed that they were also calling Dylan's.

What had happened to him? Were these monsters taking him too? I sure hope not. It was gonna be hard enough to rescue myself.

The person holding me was now dragging me. The door I had found opened, and a bright, blinding light seared my eyes. I was unable to see for a few seconds, but I soon heard the door close, and I knew I was inside the mysterious room.

My vision cleared, and I was in a lab. That's right. A FREAKING LAB! And there were two whitecoats sizing me up like they were preparing me for slaughter.

"Put her in there," one of them said in a monotone. He pointed to a cage.

Great…

I was slammed inside, and I fell flat on my face. I think my nose broke, but I couldn't feel any pain. I picked myself up and looked at the person who put me here.

He was smiling sickly sweet, and his body I had once thought of as hot now terrified me.

It was Dylan.

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><p>Fang POV<p>

That night, Fang and the others went to a nearby Burger King for dinner. Fang and Maya each had five Whoppers with cheese and three orders of fries, along with two extra large cokes. Kate and Star looked a little grossed out about it, because they were only splitting a Whopper Jr.

They soon returned to the cave. Everyone minus Fang fell asleep pretty quickly. Fang stared outside at extended his wings. They were cramped, and it felt good for them to be out. The wind detached one of the feathers, and it blew into his face.

"Hey," said a voice. Fang turned around to see Maya approaching. Why did she always show up when he wanted to be alone?

"Hey," he muttered.

She sat down next to him and didn't say anything. But her hand found his. Fang knew he should've pulled away, but for some reason he didn't.

"Fang, can I tell you a secret?"

He nodded, still silent.

"I like you."

His head snapped up. "What?"

She blushed. "I like you. You're really cool."

Fang didn't know how to respond. Part of him wanted to say that he kinda liked her too, but that wouldn't be the whole truth. Whenever Fang saw Maya, he only though of Max.

Maya slowly leaned forward, and Fang didn't back off. And then her lips met his. His eyes closed.

They were kissing. But it felt wrong.

Fang jerked away and rubbed his eyes, shocked that they had kissed. When he opened them, Maya was gone. Just like Max. They were so much alike.

Then Fang felt something hit the back of his head. His neck almost snapped and he slumped forward. The last thing he saw was Maya standing above him, shaking her head.

"You are so gullible…"

Big hands, not Maya's, grabbed him and tied him up. He was moved, away from the others, and was too hurt to call for help.

_What was going on?_

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><p><strong>So, please review, even though you probably hate me! I know, they kissed. I had to do it! Don't worry, i hate Dylan and Maya!<strong>

**Reviews=Me happy**

**Me happy=Update faster**


	8. Chapter 7

**Yeah yeah i know: WTH, Blondie, where have you been? We all hate you now, you suck, blah, blah, blah NOT feat. 30H!3! Yeah, I've been MIA for a while. Once, again, i want you all to know that i will be finishing this story soon... And, i forget if i've already told you, but i did enter the Nevermore fanfiction contest...**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Maximum Ride... that'd be James Patterson, who is NOT me...**

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><p>Nudge POV<p>

"MAX! DYLAN! COME OUT, COME OUT WHEREVER YOU ARE!"

Nudge screamed this repeatedly, loud enough to keep getting death glares from the other members of the flock. But they were all worried. The lights had just turned off and Max and Dylan were gone.

"Oh god," moaned Gazzy. "What happened to them?"

"I don't know, but whatever it was, it probably has something to do with the 'Doomsday Group'," said Nudge, moving her hands along the wall.

"Ugh," groaned Iggy. "Whenever you bring the One-Light into this, I'm gonna get bad vibes."

"And you're gonna sound like you are in the seventies," mumbled Gazzy.

"I heard that," barked Iggy, his face turning a dark shade of red. "But seriously, the Doomsday Group is freaking bad! They brainwashed me!"

"Oh, we know." Nudge couldn't help but laugh. It had been pretty funny.

Iggy let out a sound like he was being strangled. Suddenly, the lights turned on, so Gazzy and Nudge got to witness Iggy as he accidently ran into the wall, which made him give out a string of curses. He ended up on the ground, rubbing his head. "Hey, what's this?" he asked. In his hand was a piece of fabric. It was shredded into tiny pieces, hanging together by the smallest of threads. But Nudge had seen it before.

"It's from Max's shirt, you guys. I don't think her and Dylan just walked out of here. I think they were kidnapped." _Probably by Doomsday,_ Nudge wanted to say, but she had the feeling that they already knew.

Nudge felt along the wall some more, and there it was. A handle. Nudge yanked hard, and then it opened.

It was another long, dark hallway, but Nudge could smell something familiar. The smell of a lab.

"I think Max and Dylan are down here," whispered Nudge. Everyone had gotten a lot quieter. "Let's go!"

Iggy took the lead as they jogged down the tunnel, Gazzy in the middle, and Nudge in the back.

When they came to a fork in the path, Nudge knew they were screwed.

"Which way?" asked Gazzy, exasperated.

"Well, the majority of us are right handed, so I say right!" Nudge took off. She could hear the others following.

"But that doesn't even make sense!" said Iggy. Nudge shrugged. "So what if it doesn't make sense? This whole mission doesn't make sense, so who cares?"

When they heard the loud gasp, they stopped dead in their tracks.

"Who's there?" demanded Nudge with as much confidence as she could muster.

"Nudge? Is that you?"

"Dylan?" Gazzy asked and bolted forward.

It was Dylan. He was on his hands and knees, coughing up blood. He had long cuts down his arms and his clothes were tattered. One eye was shut completely.

Nudge and Iggy ran up to him and helped him to his feet. He nearly fell back down. He shook his head. "There were so many. They were everywhere!"

"Dylan, what do you mean? Where's Max?"

Something flashed in his eyes. "Max! Oh, God, come on. They have her! They'll kill her."

Ice flowed through Nudge's body. "Who?"

But he was already gone, sprinting back the way they had come. "WAIT!" called Nudge as she followed. Iggy was faster than she was, but he was going slow and holding on to Gazzy's hand since he didn't know where to go.

The lights got brighter and brighter until Dylan stopped suddenly. He put a finger to his lips and jerked his head to the left. It was a lab. Full of whitecoats.

He moved silently, darting from one corner to the next, then gesturing for them to follow. The whitecoats did not turn around to find them. Instead they were studied on their new specimen.

"So, your name is Max, right? You do know that is a guy's name?" It was a man's voice.

"And you do know that is a girl's body, right?" spat a voice. Max's.

Nudge practically squealed with a mixture of delight and fear. The whitecoat moved over a bit to reveal Max.

She looked terrible. She was in a hospital nightgown, and her wings were out, but bent up, probably broken. Her nose gushed blood, and she was covered in scrapes. Her sun streaked hair was blood streaked. She still hadn't noticed them.

"Well, this one has a temper," sighed a lady.

"Yes, what a shame. But at least she isn't like the other one."

Other one? What other one? Was it Angel? A million questions raced through Nudge's brain, and it took all of her willpower, plus a hand over her mouth, to not ask them.

"Look, Max, just cooperate, and your friends will be spared."

"You don't have any of them. They are long gone by now!" she growled.

"Oh, don't we?" They all stepped aside so that Max could see them. Nudge, Iggy, and Gazzy were frozen with shock.

"Now would be a good time, Dylan," said the lady.

"What?" screamed Nudge, just as Max screamed, "NO!"

She turned around to get a sheet of metal in her face. She was knocked backwards, but she shot to her feet anyway. Iggy and Gazzy were gone now too. Either they had escaped, or the whitecoats had them.

And there was Dylan, cold rage in his eyes, hands curled into fists, swinging at Nudge. She blocked the punch and rolled away, then shot to her feet. Hands grabbed her from behind, and she kicked and screamed and cursed and spat.

"Sedate her," yelled someone. A needle was shot into her arm, and the world began to blur.

Dylan was working with them. Well, you just couldn't trust anyone anymore, could you?

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><p><strong>Lalala, yeaaaah... so, give me a review for a quicker update?<strong>


	9. The Final Flight

**Hey guys! I am ending the story right now…**

**Yeah, I know! I suck! But I'm not going anywhere with the story, so I really have no point in continuing. But, I would like to give you guys some HUGE news…**

**James Patterson has released the first 16 chapters of Nevermore! They are amazing, but a tiny bit infuriating. The book is coming out soon, and there is NO way I'll be able to finish my fanfiction for it. But I'll keep it up as a reminder of what almost was… yeah:)**

**But, I'm not leaving without an update! I am posting my version of the end of the story. James Patterson had a fanfiction contest in which the fans got to write the last chapter. As far as I know, mine was not chosen, but here is my version.**

**Of course, it had to be less than 500 words. At first, I didn't see that, so I wrote this other chapter way past that. I did change it, but this version is way better!**

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><p>Will Nudge ever learn to shut her mouth? The world may <em>never<em> know.

You would think she'd learn by now, but no, she just keeps rambling. But, hey, what can I say? I love her just as much as everyone else in the Flock.

"Oh my GOSH! I think I love the world," Nudge screamed through the wind. We were flying around in the night air, all six of us. The original six. "Or at least the part of it that wasn't trying to kill us!"

Iggy flew up to me, close enough so that only I could hear him mumble, "My ears are still bleeding."

I suppressed a smile and gazed below me. Gazzy and Angel were chatting, happy to be reunited. I was happy for them. Nudge was above me, spinning as if she were on hyper drive. And Fang… FANG? Where was he? I turned around frantically, afraid he had disappeared again like so many times before, only to find him staring at me with his dark eyes.

Some things never change.

"Let's land here," I told them, and my wings extended a tiny bit more as I began my descent.

I as sure as heck didn't know where we were. I didn't care, and no one objected. My wandering mind went back to the night's who knows how long ago, back when I was fourteen and more of a mother. We used to camp out all of the time. Nudge would sing Brittney Spears songs so many times that Iggy's ears wouldn't be the only ones bleeding. Gazzy would make a melody to the songs by passing gas. And even though it would be our five millionth time hearing Toxic, we would sing along anyway. Fang would stay silent, counting grains of sand or whatever he did. Angel would be whispering the next one on the playlist, and everything was as normal as life ever would have been.

If we hadn't been bird mutants.

The area we landed in had a decent clearing, perfect for us. The pine trees were plentiful as they surrounded us, and the crickets made me calm.

Iggy made the fire like always, taking matches from his never-ending supply of fire starting material. I reached into my torn, mud-and-blood covered backpack and took out all of the stuff inside before throwing the bag into the fire. Too many bad memories were etched into it, and I didn't care to remember them.

Granola bars and Capri Suns served as our exquisite five-star meal that only I could've made. Soon after finishing, Gazzy patted him tummy with a sarcastic edge. "Wow, full! Goodnight." And with that he collapsed onto the ground and started snoring not ten seconds later. I couldn't blame him. It had been a long day.

One by one, we started sleeping. Angel was in my lap when she did, and she was just a tired, little girl. Not anything else… other than a winged, shape-shifting, mind-reading freak.

Only then did I notice that Fang was still awake, still staring at me from ten feet away. I sighed. "Hey."

"Hey."

It is funny how one simple word can just make a person feel better. Gently, I set Angel on the ground and made my way over to him. I sat down and laid my head on his shoulder. I felt his tense body loosen up and his right arm encircle me protectively. My eyes closed and I let out a puff of air.

We didn't really talk. I must've fallen asleep in his warm embrace, because soon he was shaking me.

"Whamf?" I asked grumpily, my voice muffled by his shirt. Then it occurred to me that my head was lying on his chest.

Did you expect me to move it? Uh, no! It was comfy and I was too lazy. It's not like I was mesmerized by his killer six pack or anything…

"Get up," he chuckled, and when I slid my gaze up to his face, he gave me his Fang grin (the one where it is not really a smile, but the closest you'll ever see on him) and pushed me off him.

"Ugh," I groaned as my pillow was replaced by dirt. He grabbed my hand and pulled me to my aching feet. Then he started dragging me through the forest, which I did not appreciate, due to the fact that I continuously tripped over roots and acted completely stupid and un-sexy. Not that I was trying to be sexy!

Okay, maybe I was. Fang was there, and I didn't want to be a drill sergeant, but then again, sexy has never really been my thing.

We reached another clearing, but this one, unlike ours, was a cliff.

"Why did you bring me here?"

Fang smirked. "You want to go fly around?"

I raised my eyebrows. "Hm, I don't know. It seems to me that something bad always happens when we leave the flock to go 'fly around'."

"I think they have proved that they can defend themselves, and it will only be for a few minutes." His voice was willing me to give in. It was true; they could take care of themselves perfectly. Maybe that is why I didn't want to leave.

Of all times, it had to cross my mind now. I wasn't ready for the Flock to not need me anymore. They'd soon be grown up and gone, not needing me to make, or attempt to make them food. They wouldn't need me to save their butts.

Fang pretty much read my thoughts. "Max, you will always be their mother. You aren't going to let them go today, and you aren't going to let them go tomorrow."

"I know," I replied, but I wasn't sure if I really did.

"No you don't. You're just too stubborn to realize it."

Normally, I would have been taken aback, but I was too fatigued to do anything other than stare back at him.

So then, at that moment when my mind was blank, Fang cupped my chin in his hand and kissed me. I was lost in the passion of it, and I swear that I floated up to heaven and danced my little love-filled heart out.

He wasn't like Dylan, not by a long shot. He was _definitely_ better. He was the one I loved, and no one would ever tell me different.

_I told you so Max._

I ignored the stupid Voice, knowing that maybe, at one point, it had been right. Maybe the Voice had always been on my side.

Sometime later, he released me, but captured my hand in his. We walked to the edge of the cliff, and I thought of Ella, Mom, Jeb, Ari, and so many others that had impacted my life, my decisions. Without those fights and those secrets and those experiments, there would be no me, no Fang, and no Flock. Perhaps I actually had something to thank them for.

We and gazed out into the night, like how people in those romance movies do it.

"Ready?" Fang asked me.

"Yeah," I whispered.

We extended our wings, making them overlap, and prepared for flight.

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><p><strong>And so, that is how I thought it would end. <strong>

**I have many other stories, and I would love it if you guys checked them out. Please add me to Author Alert so you guys will know when I post new stories! **

**And for the final time, please review! This is the last chapter, and it would mean a lot.**

**I will miss you guys. Thanks for reading:)**

**-BBH**


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